Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-09
CICELY CHRYSTAL.

corridor. talking in subdued tones, con
sulting one another on knotty point il
the history of grand jury. The lecturer
ceme out of the lecture room and passed
us. He bowed gravely as he passed
and went hastily down the stairs, hi
college cap in his hand, his long gown
falling Imply about his tall. thin figure
We were silent until he was out of sight
then our tongues were loosened, and we
NO longer spoke in subdued tones.
ssPoor young mani" said Lottie feel.
ingly.
..He is grave as judge, said Nell.
THAT" said Claudia weightily. "is
nervousness. He is nervous, girls
nervous of u.s."
But it was l who had most to say.
leant against the balusters with my face
toward the open door of the lecture
room. and gave the girls the benefit Of
all my observations.
"Yes, he is nervous, said. "Pool
young map, he is shy! When 1 asked
him if the grand jury still existed he
blusAed. girls-oh, he is copper colored
20 s.sst with. know, but he blushed
through the copper color"
For your ignorance. perhaps" sug
gested Claudia.
sHe is very shy" said l. ''He is not
used, / expect, to teaching girls. He
cannot forget that we are girls. He
waited-did you notice?-until We had
left the room; the other lecturers stalk
out before US. 1 think he wanted TO
opcu the door Cor us and to bow us out.
Oh. poor young man, he is shy!-shy
and young
The girls were frowning at me. Clau.
dis was touching my elbow with myste.
rious meaning on one side; Nell pulling
my sleeve imperatively on the other.
Lottie formed her lips into silent
<.hush."
.'Shy and young-very young-what
is the matter!" said.
Nobody answered me. No answer,
indeed, was needed. AT that moment
our lecturer passed us again and went
back into the lecture room. He had
come up the stairs behind me-he must
have heard me. He seemed to glance
my way as he passed. There seemed to
be twinkle in his gray.blue eyes. The
girls moved slowly away; but l turned
precipitately and fed.
Past the lecture room door, along the
corridor, up stairs l fed, to my little
room (study, bedchamber and reception
room) near the sky. meant to work,
and took my Stubbs and turned over it's
leaves, and found my place hurriedly
with unusual energy. But work would
not drive away the remembrance of my
unlucky speeches; the sentences bore no
meaning to me; could not fix my at.
tention on the history of early Germanic
institutions. l shut up my Stubs in
despair; the girls were playing tennis in
the courts below; seized my racket and
ran swiftly down to join them. Tennis
would make me forget.
Bat if my thoughts were distracted
for an hour or two, tEey attacked me
again when the game was over. stood
before my glass and changed my dress
for dinner. and grew rosy red as my
words came back. l had said that he
had blushed because 1 had spoken to him
II had said that he was shy-I had
implied that he was shy of me because /
was girl. L should never dare to
speak to him or look at him again. l
had called him copper colored-at least
/ might have spared him that reproach.
1 locked in my glass at my own little
face; it was brown as berry-brown
by nature in the first place, and made
msre bro xn by the summer sun and the
breeze from the sea at home. His eyes
were blue and his hair was fair. l was
altogether brown-hair, eyes, skin, all
brown alike. And called him copper
coiored!-I had called him young!-what
else had called him? l brus back
my brown hair tightly and severely, tied
my soft silk sash with jerk aud ran
down to dinner with rush, hoping to
escape from my thoughts again.
Perhaps, after all, 1 thought, trying
to comfort myself, he had not heard ne.
My voice, alas! was clear as o BELLS; l
was an only girl in family of boys--a
spoilt girl who had never been taught to
be meek and silent in the presence of
her brothers. laxative girl who had
learn ID to make herself heard in any
Babel of louder and gruffer voices. But
perhaps he had been thinking-not lis
tening-meditating on the Mark system,
trial by jury. or the disruptive tendency
of feudal government. But no, said the
girls, he must have heard; there was no
doubt whatever that he had heard me.
The girls were as happy as usual.
They could contemplate the situation
TRANQUILITY; it even afforded them amuse-
ment. The, found something humorous
in my discontinue. 1t was l, not they,
whom he had overheard.
We sat In a half circle on the floor
before the fire that night in our pretty
bright dressing gowns, and drank cocoa
and ate sweet buiscuits before going to
bed. l was hostess. The study, the
little tin kettle singing on the hob, the
blue and white china, the cocoa, the
sweet biscuit, were all mine. We four
friends gave cocoa parties in turn. To.
morrow Claudia would provide the feast.
Yesterday Nell had been hostess. Co.
Goa was the chief dissipation of our col.
Iege. We gave "cocoas" as our brothers
gave "wines"-it was drink easily
made, inexpensive, nutritious.
We sat around the fire on the floor,
talking and laughing, holding our tea
cups and stirring our cocoa slowly and
absent-mindedly as we talked. My
guests were merry, but l tonight was
unusually silent and depressed.
''After ALL" said Claudia sensibly,
trying TO comfort me--"what all, what
did you say, Cis? Nothing-nothing, at
all events, that mattered. You said he
was young; well, that is true. How
old, girls, do you imagine he is?"
'gTwenty- five" said Lottie.
"Twenty.four," said Nell.
every young" said Claudia, concln-
aively.
Then you called him sIy--well, he
= sly. You said he blushed-well. ne
does blush
That L just it," groaned. 'sIt is
AL so true.